A New Strength
by eolhcsullivan452
Summary: The events of the Dueling Club trouble many minds. As Hermione becomes even more aware of all the Heir of Slytherin's capable of, she begins understanding that knowledge of books won't see her through everything. Upon realizing how poor she is in Defense Against the Dark Arts, it's hard to hold onto hope. Fortunately, Ron and Harry are there to remind her of what she's made of.


**Author's Note: So, this is really meant to be a "missing moment" in The Chamber of Secrets (leading up to Hermione's petrifaction), but I know it doesn't fit into the timeline. Just pretend it does. LOL.**

**A New Strength**

A twelve-year-old Hermione Granger bit her lip apprehensively as she thought about all the events that had transpired at the dueling club. Though she was worried about what people would say to or think about Harry after the snake incident, she found that something else troubled her more.

As it was, she was quickly learning that Defense Against the Dark Arts was her worst subject. She would have liked to blame such a thing on Professor Quirrell working with You-Know-Who; or maybe she could blame Professor Lockhart being so obsessed with autographs that he couldn't properly focus enough to teach well. Though Hermione would argue to the ends of the Earth with Ron and Harry about how wonderful their famous Professor was… It was still true she wasn't learning much in her classes or the new dueling club. She felt absolutely horrible about it all.

To distract herself from her falling standards as a student at Hogwarts, Hermione found herself opening her Potions book more than once the following day. At least that was one subject she'd always have over Ron and Harry's heads. She could hardly believe that Ron was showing more of an aptitude for the Defense Against the Dark Arts than she was! As jealousy and unfairness began filling her from head to toe, Hermione found herself returning to the snotty person she'd been before befriending the boys the previous year.

"It wouldn't kill you to crack open a book every now and again, you know."'

Of course, as fate would have it, it'd be that moment that the owls would swoop into the Great Hall for the morning delivery. Rather annoyingly, a particularly plump barn owl landed right where Hermione's book was; the Gryffindor girl winced when the great bird's talons tore into her book, but she was more irritated when Neville leaned towards the owl to get the letter from his grandmother. It was just not her lucky day. What would happen next but Neville spilling his pumpkin juice on Hermione's already damaged book? Well, if nothing else, it served in making Harry smile the tiniest bit. He _had_ been in a dreadful mood all morning…

"Blimey, I think that's a sign, Hermione. There's no way I'm studying Potions with a git like Snape teaching it."

Though Harry wisely didn't say anything to Ron's words, Hermione knew all too well that he agreed when he didn't offer to help her savage her book. She thought she might try a Scourge spell, but she'd have to do it later. As much of a betrayal it seemed to the sacred book, Hermione simply had to eat something. She had a Charms test today, after all, and it would no good to go it on an empty stomach.

"That's a rather silly thing to think, Ronald. Snape or not, our marks are important. And with O.W.L.s only three years away-"

"I think Potions are a dodgy subject anyway. After all, a lot of what you do with Potions can be solved with a bezoar." For Harry's sake, Hermione didn't inform the Boy Who Lived on just how wrong he was. There was so much more to Potions than all that! But not wanting to alienate Harry any more than he was already feeling, Hermione kept her lips sealed.

Still, she did slightly grimace at her best friends for their lack of respect in a lot of what she said; though once she realized how horrible it was probably making her teeth look, she quickly stopped. If only they'd read _Hogwarts: A History_…

Thankfully, Neville was aware of the mood Hermione was in. Bless the boy, he performed a Scourge spell on Hermione's book for her, and she could only stare in gratitude at the dry pages. "Thank you, Neville," Hermione said despite him telling her "not to mention it since he'd damaged the book to begin with."

"I'd no idea you could do that spell, Neville," Harry muttered whilst hiding behind a piece of toast. At this, Hermione's lips upturned into a sad smile. Why did everything have to be so hard for Harry? At least Neville didn't seem to think him the Heir of Slytherin. Instead, he blushed slightly at Harry's words and said that Harry was still a much better wizard than he was.

Surprisingly, it seemed to be Ron who was about to challenge Neville's claim, but by complete accident, Hermione ended up interrupting before Ron could give his two cents; she had just realized something. Putting a hand under her chin, Hermione appraised Harry. "And I had no idea you know what a bezoar is. Oh, Harry! It's so great to see you becoming accumulated to a Wizarding environment!"

Unfortunately, Hermione had spoken a lot louder than she'd intended. As the racket in the Great Hall died down (no doubt due to everyone being about to go to their first class), it seemed everyone had heard what Hermione had said. Though she tried to hold her head high, the jeers the Slytherins were giving her didn't make her feel very comforted. After all, by saying what she just had, she'd unintentionally reminded everyone that she, too, was-"

"Hermione, keep it down, will you?" Ron whispered as he leaned across the table so Hermione might hear him. "The last thing we want to remind the Heir of Slytherin of is that you're-"

"Muggle-born," the young witch said finishing Ron's thoughts. As her fellow Gryffindors looked at her with pitying expressions (some even actually looking past Harry to see her), Hermione very much wished that she'd let Ron speak. He'd most definitely had a more cheerful topic to discuss than the one she'd just landed them with.

…

The topic didn't come up again until the trio was walking to their History of Magic class. Once again, their discussion started off as innocent as ever, but instantly deterred.

"Oh fantastic!" Hermione had exclaimed when The Fat Friar had passed through her and left her chilled to the bone. Looking behind her to give the ghost a scathing look, Hermione had to wonder if the phantom had done it on purpose. Maybe all the ghosts were a bit more like Peeves than she'd realized.

Adding insult to injury, Ron decided to poke fun at her and insult her all at the same time. "I don't know why you were getting so upset about that book for Snape's class, Hermione. Even before Neville fixed it up, it wasn't as though one of the ghosts had gone through it to leave ghosty stuff."

"I think you mean ectoplasm, Ron," Harry whispered behind the book he was now looking at religiously.

Rather humorously, Hermione recognized it as their Charms Book. He was definitely getting some last minute studying in, wasn't he? Then again, it wasn't as though he'd probably been able to focus on much the previous night, the poor thing. "Harry, despite what I said last night, I just know that you're not the Heir of Slytherin."

Though Hermione was truly glad to be reassuring Harry, she wasn't exactly happy about the topic she'd unwittingly brought up again. What seemed to unnerve her the most, though, was that Ron was looking at her with such fear in his eyes! Ron was better at fighting than her, and he was scared? It was all absolutely ridiculous.

"Did you know, Hermione, that some Purebloods have the ridiculous notion that Muggle-borns steal their wands and get their powers that way? Well, maybe we can fool the Heir of Slytherin into thinking you're a Pureblood. If we get a wand from a long line of wizards, maybe we can trick whoever's doing this into believing that your parents _weren't _Muggles."

"Keep your voice down, Ron!" Harry shouted in what seemed a very incredulous way to Hermione. Though she could understand Harry's reason for it, she was a bit sad at his obvious dismissal. As flawed as Ron's plan was, Hermione had still hoped that it might work, but- "But don't you think that would only make matters worse if the Heir figured it out? It would only add to their crackpot theory! The only way it might work is if we fine a family of wizards with the last name 'Granger.' If one of them lent Hermione their wand…"

"It seems to me that we need to go see Hagrid. Harry, you don't happen to have your Invisibility Cloak, do you?" Since Hermione was more than certain the answer was no, she could only gasp in shock when the Charms book Harry had been holding disappeared. Then, as Harry changed his posture, even more of him seemed to vanish. That could only mean one thing: "You do have it!"

At first, Harry didn't answer. Instead, he pulled the cloak down to make sure his feet were covered (thus making them disappear, too), and then he set about putting the coat over Ron and Hermione. When Ron stepped on Hermione's feet for the umpteenth time, she was prepared to give the Weasley a piece of her mind, but Harry delayed such a thing. Rather shyly he told his friends, "I've been keeping it with me as much as I can. All I know is you're a target now, Hermione; if I see someone come after you, I'll be sure I can hide you straight away."

At this, Hermione very much wanted to give Harry a kiss on the cheek, but realizing Ron had aimed to protect her, too, she nipped the thought in the bud. She had enough conflicting feelings around Ron as it was. So instead of outwardly showing her affection, she took extra care not to step on Ron or Harry's feet. If she was going to be called a Mudblood, she didn't want to be called a hypocrite, too.

…

The air was rather chilly; even with the Invisibility Cloak, Hermione had to rub her hands for warmth more than a few times. Of course, this often led to Harry and Ron chastising her since, as they'd say, "Someone might hear that," or, "You're making the cloak fly off of you!" Hermione wanted to demand when they had become such upholders of the rules, but her desire to not create double standards kept her quiet. After all, Harry and Ron were being loud enough as it was.

The only sound Hermione made while the three gracelessly descended the hill was when she hastily pulled the Cloak off, got out her wand, and cast an "Alohomora" spell. As fast as they were able, the second-years piled into Hagrid's hut; Hermione was the last in, and the bushy haired girl couldn't ignore the ominous feeling the increasing speed of the wind evoked in her.

Were people becoming petrified as fast as this sharp, cold wind? Hermione's only comfort came in the grass outside Hagrid's hut. In stood its ground and didn't bow down to its oppressor, but nor did the birds from the owlery taking any heed of the wind current. In that moment, Hermione suddenly realized how much she respected owls and that when all of this was over, she wouldn't mind having one.

"Oi! Will you get in here, Hermione? You are sort of on the run, you know!"

Much kinder than the way Ron had gone about it, Harry ushered Hermione into Hagrid's house and added, "And it looks as though we have a mystery on our hands. Hagrid's not here."

"What? Where would he have gone? Fang's… gone, too!" As Hermione noticed the last bit, it suddenly seemed perfectly obvious where Hagrid had gone. After all, he'd taken that "dozy dog" on another trip their first year, hadn't he? The Forbidden Forest. "I think I know where Hagrid's gone-"

"The Forbidden Forest," Harry nervously echoed Hermione's thought. Though Harry had much more reason to be nervous than Ron or her, Hermione suddenly found herself shaking. After all, Harry had had a run in with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named there before the fiasco with the Philosopher's Stone. What if-

"Well, why would he go there? I know Hagrid likes dangerous creatures and all, but look he's left all these candles lit!"

"I reckon that he didn't want anyone to notice his absence," Hermione said with a little more acid than she'd intended. As improper as the timing was, she was suddenly hit with another pang of envy. She hadn't even noticed the candles lit, and she was supposed to be the smart one for goodness sake! If she didn't have that, she didn't have anything! If she couldn't find out who was behind the attacks-

"It's still rather reckless leaving the candles lit. What if they set the place on fire? I'm sure Hagrid would have thought the same thing. And don't give me that look, Hermione. I know fire can be dealt with easier in the Wizarding World, but-"

"Do you suppose we should tell Dumbledore about this? I know Hagrid can take care of himself, but we've got a crisis on our hands, haven't we? I know that Hagrid's not a Muggle-born, but-"

"Don't say that, Ron!" Hermione admonished her red haired best friend. "I mean, really! We don't know for sure if—And if Hagrid is part… well, we don't want that getting out, do we? As far as I know, no one thinks that-"

As much as she tried to fight it, Hermione knew she was a stammering mess. She knew she ought to be being rational, logical, and calm, but she was slowly falling to pieces. Because if the Heir would target a Half-Giant, that meant everyone was in danger, didn't it? Muggle-borns like herself, Half-Bloods, Half-Breeds… The only real safe people would have to be the Purebloods! It was such a terrible thing to think about the world! And even though Hermione feared that Muggles themselves might be targeted, too (like her parents), she didn't want to think such terrible things happened because the world itself was terrible. Really, she just didn't want to think at all. Maybe that was why she was so horrible at Defense Against the Dark Arts; she completely cracked under pressure.

Pulling Hermione from her thoughts, Harry seemed to be looking decidedly out the window. Hermione noticed that he had a hand to his scar again, and she could only hope he was just pushing his bangs back and it wasn't because- "I can't imagine Hagrid would go down as easily as the others. He deals with deadly creatures for fun. And we don't see him of Fang petrified anywhere, but if they don't reappear by tomorrow, we'll go to Dumbledore. For now, we should probably return to the castle."

"True enough," said Ron as he blew out all the candles. "After all, if McGonagall catches us out here, we probably will be expelled this time."

"That, and it was stupid to take Hermione out like this. I don't really fancy our chances against the Heir of Slytherin. As much as I hate to say it, we might should keep our heads down and stay close to Dumbledore. No place is safer than around him."

While that was completely true, Hermione couldn't help but fear Dumbledore had gotten a bit old. Was it possible he could have lost his touch? The recent attacks _had_ happened right under his nose. There was also the whole Quirrell thing to consider. "Well," Hermione said to assure herself more than anyone else. "At least no one can Apparate or Dissapperate within Hogwarts."

"What the bloody hell are you talking about?"

"Honestly, Ron, don't you read?"

It seemed Ron didn't listen, either. Despite Harry and Hermione's protests, he left his wand at Hagrid's; he had worked it to continuously cast Lumos spells. Though Hermione didn't want Hagrid to return to a dark house—and Harry was right that fire was dangerous—Hermione couldn't help but fear Ron's malfunctioning wand was more dangerous than anything they'd faced yet. If Hagrid hadn't run into any danger during his absence, Ron's wand would undoubtedly put up a fight.

"We'll be lucky if Hagrid's hut isn't petrified tomorrow."

"You're right, Hermione. Maybe Ron's wand is the one responsible for all the attacks."

"You two are just hilarious!"

…

Hermione couldn't sleep that night. As she tossed and turned—and desperately wondered if Harry and Ron had missed something Malfoy might have said when they'd taken the Polyjuice Potion—Hermione knew all too well that sleep wouldn't come to her on this night. Fishing out some of her homework, Hermione thought she might try and work on some of it, but when she could do nothing but blankly stare at the parchment in front of her, she knew this would be a no go, too. There was only one thing, then. The library. Moreover, the restricted section.

Making sure that no one was up to see her of all people breaking the rules, Hermione found herself leaving her dormitories, but only to go to the boys'. Upon careful thought, Hermione decided to wake Ron up first. In her mind, Harry had had enough scares to last him a lifetime, and since Ron was more familiar with Harry's sleeping habits… She thought he might be able to get him to calm down if it came down to it.

That wasn't to say that waking up Ron wasn't an event, though. Hermione gently shook Ron and said his name quite a few times with no response from the Weasley. She was about to give up on the endeavor, or maybe wake up Harry first, when suddenly she noticed something quite obvious. Ron's breathing was all over the place; it could only mean one thing. "Ron, you're awake? Why didn't you answer me when I called?"

Thankfully, she hadn't lost her head enough that she actually shouted at Ron (rather she was hissing at him through her whispers), but it didn't change the fact that she was fuming. This was all so embarrassing! What if she'd figured it out a second later, and had gotten caught up here by someone? The nerve of him! When his blue eyes flickered open, Hermione was justly satisfied that the first thing he'd see would be her angry face. It served him right.

"Oh come on, Hermione! I've lived with Fred and George my entire life. I thought you might have been planning a prank."

Despite herself, Hermione couldn't help but be puzzled at this. It hadn't been what she'd been expecting at all, and it actually made little to no sense. "If you thought that, then why wouldn't you have acted to stop me?"

"Well, when I was little all I cared about was finding a way for Mum to catch the boys red handed, but for you I was just amazed that you'd be willing to pull a joke. Still, I reckon it wouldn't have been a very good one."

Angry for many reasons she didn't understand, Hermione roughly yanked at Ron's arm and pulled him off of his bed. Though when he didn't seem the least bit hurt, she suddenly noticed that Seamus had already fallen off his bed while sleeping. Boys. Did they all sleep like this? They were slobs even in their sleep. "Just wake up Harry, will you? We need his Invisibility Cloak again."

"Fine, fine. But if he starts slapping me or something, I'm dragging you over there to take the brunt of the attack. This is your idea, after all."

Why, then, Ron decided it was best to poke Harry, Hermione hadn't the faintest idea. Fortunately for them, though, Harry didn't make a spectacle of himself at all. Instead, he adopted a somewhat defensive position and put his glasses into place. Once his eyes adjusted to the sight in front of him, Harry whispered rather groggily, "Ron? Hermione? What is it? There hasn't been another attack, has there?"

"Actually, I'm hoping to avoid such a thing indefinitely. I want to go to the library's restricted section. I know there's something we're overlooking. If we could just peruse some of the tomes there…"

"Are you mental, Hermione? You'll be caught! And in case you haven't noticed, most of these attacks have happened at night!"

Though Ron hadn't said it, Hermione knew what he wasn't saying: he was worried about her. Teetering on her feet rather awkwardly, Hermione wondered if maybe she ought to have thanked him for that somehow, but then again if he wasn't coming right out with his emotions, neither was she. Besides, Harry's eyes seemed to shine worry for her, too. But at least… "You're seeming to forget that I'll be with two of the bravest wizards of our age. You two."

"And we're nothing without your books and cleverness, Hermione. Come on, Ron. I know by now not to try and dissuade Hermione when she's chasing a lead. Let's go to the library again."

"Yeah. Because we haven't gone there a million times!"

Hermione's answer to this was to attempt to elbow Ron in his ribs, but he evaded the attack by grabbing Hermione's arm before she could. As butterflies started dancing in Hermione's abdomen, she thought it best to take the mickey out of him before he thought to her. "I take back my earlier statement, Ronald. I'll be going with one of the greatest wizards of our age."

Though Hermione felt absolutely fulfilled in getting the better of Ron like that, she had to realize she might have been a tad bit colder than she'd meant to. As the three students tiptoed towards the library, Hermione thought she could cut the tension between her and Ron with a knife. There was a chilly air around them and it had naught to do with the outside air like it had earlier in the day. Deciding to talk to Harry to attempt to ebb the awkwardness away, Hermione whispered into his ear, "I saw you rubbing your scar earlier today. You don't think any of this has to do with- I mean, you defeated Professor Quirrell, so it can't be-"

"Unfortunately, Dumbledore said there might be other ways Voldermort can come back, Hermione. But I can't see this relating to him. I mean, how could it?"

"Yes, yes, you're right, of course. And for goodness sake, pull yourself together, Ron!" Hermione said the last part in response to Ron's trembling at a certain name. She strongly wanted to roll her eyes at him, but knowing she was reacting just as badly kept her from it. Honestly, she wasn't sure at all that You-Know-Who had nothing to do with what was going on; she only hoped he didn't so she might have more of a sporting chance.

"Will you two stop your bickering? We're here. Hermione, would you like to have a look first?" Hermione's answer to Harry's question was taking the lantern out of his hands. Looking every which way she could manage to make sure the coast was clear, she stepped into the restricted section and just prayed that she'd find something to help everyone. And that something wouldn't happen so they'd be caught. Fortunately, the first book Hermione came upon seemed promising. Even more fortunate was that no alarm sounded when she took the book from its spot.

"'The Darkest Creatures of Our World'. Not a very cheery title, is it? I wonder why you could just take the book like that, Hermione."

"I bet they've taken down the usual enchantments in here. I mean, think about it. The teachers are working overtime to figure this all out. Probably the prefects, too. Though they wouldn't tell the average student this, I bet they've made it so anyone researching the attacks can find an appropriate book if they need it."

"Yes, you're right, Harry. That makes a lot of sense, but I still don't think we should look a gift horse in the mouth. Let's take this back to Gryffindor Tower and look at it before we get caught." It seemed that Harry and Ron didn't have to be told twice; Ron was quick to take the lantern from Hermione so she could hold the book. Meanwhile, Harry was keeping a sharp eye on their surroundings.

When they got back to their Common Room without anything happening, the second-years took off the Invisibility Cloak, and gathered around the fire to look at the book in the last of its light. Suddenly, Hermione was reminded of the night duel that Harry and Ron had meant to have with Malfoy their first year. She was sitting in the exact same chair now that she had been then.

"Well, at least we didn't have a run in with a three-headed-dog this time," Ron seemed to read Hermione's mind.

"Yeah, lucky that. Hermione, you picked this book. Why don't you choose where we look in it first."

"Okay." To tell the truth, Hermione hadn't been exactly sure why she'd taken this book from the restricted section. Though it was true it was the first book she'd happened upon, there hadn't been much reason beyond that. She hadn't originally been very keen on the idea of a creature doing all of this, but now that she thought about it, she could see it. "I suppose we could look up some of the creatures that are close to Hogwarts. Maybe one of them snuck into the castle. If any of them have the ability to petrify, we might very well find our culprit. After all that happened with Fluffy last yea-"

"You don't think it _is _Fluffy, do you? It might explain Hagrid's absence if it is. Maybe that dog decided he liked the lodgings here in the castle."

"Come on, Ron. Be reasonable. Hagrid didn't mention anything about Fluffy turning people into stone, did he?"

Hermione about jumped when she felt Harry's breath very close to her ear. She hadn't realized he and Ron had come that close to her, but with how dim it was in the room, she could hardly blame them. The last bit of light was igniting her and her book, but- "You're in my light, Harry."

"Sorry," he replied sheepishly. Though Hermione didn't look behind her to see, she heard the scuffling of shoes on the carpet. Also, when the hairs standing on the back of her neck fell back down, Hermione knew Harry had left her personal bubble.

Ron didn't seem to care about Hermione's personal space in the slightest. Leaning right over her, and the page she was on about sea and land dwelling creatures, he remarked, "I imagine you two are right. It can't be Fluffy, can it? As no one's seen anything yet, I bet it must be ducking behind corners. And I don't think Fluffy was very good at being subtle, was he?"

"Or controlling himself. If Fluffy fell asleep with music, then it can't be him. Mrs. Norris' meow can sound like music enough."

"Ugh! This is all so frustrating!" Hermione interrupted Harry's somewhat questionable words. "What good is Hogwarts if it doesn't have the books we need? We're meant to be taught how to defend ourselves, and this-"

"Maybe they expect know-it-alls like you will look in the mirror, and find your strength and answers in yourself."

"Mirrors…" Completely ignoring Ron's insult, Hermione began looking closer at the page she was on. The Basilisk. Though this book didn't give her as much information as she needed, the general idea seemed to be that a Basilisk could make one as empty as the skin it left behind. Could that be a poetic way of saying the victims had been petrified? And if everyone that had been attacked had had something reflective on them… Could it have warded off the Basilisk's true power? Who knew? Maybe at its most powerful, the Basilisk's spell would be permanent so that even Mandrake Potion wouldn't get rid of the effects.

"Hermione-"

"I'm off to bed, you two. You should be heading there yourselves. It'd be best to examine all of this when we're rejuvenated."

And before any of the boys could say anything, Hermione was running back into her dormitory and into her bed. As much as she tried, she couldn't calm her racing heart. She would definitely need to look up more about Basilisks in the morning. Though she knew that she probably should have been telling Harry and Ron about what she'd discovered, she couldn't shake the feeling she shouldn't. After all, she didn't want them tangled up in her battles. And since Harry was a Half-Blood and Ron a Blood Traitor, who was to say the Basilisk wouldn't target them, too? If she could protect them, she would. And once again, she was met with the feeling that Harry was meant to figure all of this out for himself.

Still… That didn't mean she wouldn't help him as much as she could. As it was, she finally seemed to find a reason to fight. She found a reason not to fear. It was all to protect and assist the boys she loved so dearly. Maybe Ron was right; maybe all she'd ever needed to do was to face herself to find what she was really made of. And despite all the craziness that had happened, Hermione thought she finally had a handle on just what she was made of. She wasn't all books and cleverness, she could be in the here and now, too.

Oddly enough, she had Ron to thank for this new her, and as she felt her cheeks heating up, she tried desperately to push the thought away. Even if she _was_ glad she was finally over comparing herself to him. With a slight smile for that on her face, Hermione fell into the most peaceful sleep she'd had since Mrs. Norris' attack.

When the next day rolled around, if one looked for Hermione, they would have found her with a ripped book page in her hand, and a mirror in the other. As she checked each corridor with the mirror before she entered it, she wasn't surprised when she eventually did see the Basilisk's reflection. Nor was she surprised when she felt herself being petrified. In a way, she was almost glad for it. At least she wouldn't have to worry anymore. Rather, she looked forward to when Harry and Ron would wake her and tell her of the grand adventure they'd had.

While she slept, Hermione dreamed of future adventures with Ron and Harry. There was no place she'd rather be. Upon understanding there were more important things than academics, Hermione finally understood why she was in Gryffindor and not Ravenclaw. In that, she found a new strength in herself that would rival some of the greatest witches and wizards of all time.

It would be this strength that pushed her through the Second War. It would be this strength that didn't make her give up after Bellatrix Lestrange tortured her, but more than that, it would be the same strength that allowed her to hold onto Ron and Harry's hands, and stay with them until the very end.

**Author's Note: I have no idea where this came from, but I had a blast writing it. This is a birthday present for the lovely (Celine) Alacquiene. Originally, I'd meant to write something Eternal Sonata for her, but was feeling unsure about what I'd written, and thus this was born. And man am I glad it was; I love this story! I sincerely hope you all do, too.**

**Especially you, Celine. Gosh, I hope you like this! I'm fairly certain you like HP. I hope I didn't imagine you listing it as a fandom you like on your profile. This would be an awful birthday present if I'm wrong and you don't like these books -sweat drop-. **

**Regardless, I hope you have a magnificent birthday, Celine. You deserve it, girl. You're such a great friend and I'm so glad to have met you. I hope all your endeavors succeed like Harry's did when he drank Liquid Luck. I love you to pieces, and hope we can talk soon.**

**On another note, this was originally supposed to be a Romione piece, but it became more Hermione-centric (and I also added more Harry than I'd originally intended). Oh well. They're still quite young in this, so it works. Though I did give some hints to the Ron/Hermione pairing. LOL.**

**And may I just say I have so much respect for Hermione's inner strength? The fact that she didn't even think about giving up after Bellatrix tortured her… Just wow. I give her major props for that. I know I probably would have come undone after an ordeal like that. In some ways, this fic was designed to show just how admirable she is to me. I love Hermione. **

**And though it's probably obvious, Hagrid was gone because he was making sure no one had gone to hunt down Aragog. After all, Tom Riddle had made people originally think he was behind the attacks.**

**Well, I've ranted enough! Review if you feel so inclined! In fact, now I want to write more HP fics. Maybe I will. **

**Harry Potter for the win!**

**-Shanna**

**P.S. Sorry for the ending; it seems rushed to me, but I was sort of bound by what Jo Rowling originally wrote. Hopefully the ending isn't so bad that it ruins this entire piece…**


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